ComplaintsforBoxelder Consulting LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I worked with Boxelder at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.We had previously agreed on a $7,000 retainer, and Boxelder charged me $12,000 without doing the work I hired them for. I still have not received any tax relief. They claim to be a tax relief agency, and they were supposed to help me enact my first-time abatement but they failed to even make an attempt, as well as charging me above the previously arranged amount. The way they charged me was unethical, ie. $75-$500 for a phone call to the front desk, and $70 for email correspondence regarding the confirmation of an appointment time, amongst other things. Boxelder dropped me after I gave them $5,000 more than I had agreed to, and they have not attempted to make it right. They even failed to claim my daughters as dependents, which is one of the most basic requests one could ask of a tax company. After looking at the PDf form (which I have attached to this complaint) I estimated the total that I would like to be refunded by Boxelder. I would like to receive $3000 back for the bookkeeping that I paid for and never received as well as $2000 for the tax advice via phone calls, email, etc. There was never a resolution to my case, and I paid a total of $5000 more than the initially agreed price of $7000.The charges I received in the attached PDF are charges that I was not made aware of and therefore did not agree to pay. Boxelder had me signing things under distress without disclosing the terms I was agreeing to.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2023

  This former client signed up with Boxelder on October 12, 2021. At the time he signed up, in person, we reviewed together and he signed our Client Work Agreement, attached. That agreement makes clear we bill by the hour for work performed on a case. This is the crux of the matter and a fact that this former client absolutely refuses to acknowledge, even when presented with his own signature.

  Simply put, this document governs all our work on any client case. Again, ************************** read, reviewed and signed this document, then continued to work under the terms of this agreement until he refused to pay requested additional fees to cover a negative balance on the case.

  Further, none of the complaints ************************** cites are valid. In fact, we helped him by keeping him protected from enforced collections from both the state and federal taxing authorities. We filed his missing tax returns, and also kept him current with his ongoing tax obligations. We entered him into a payment agreement with the state. We entered him into a more beneficial entity structure to help him mitigate tax exposure. Finally, we assisted him with the full payment of his tax liabilities. 

  When, approximately one year later, during a review of his retainer, we discovered we were several thousand dollars negative, I called this former client and advised him of such. I let him know I would be crediting his balance to zero, but if he wanted us to pursue penalty relief, we would need to cover our time, again, per the terms of our signed agreement (See Section 3).

  ************************** became upset and unhinged from any reason on the call, and after talking in circles for close to a half hour, I advised we would be closing the case and moving on, and wished him the best. He then showed up at our offices several minutes later. While not overtly threatening, I was concerned enough to not let him in the office to talk further, and asked him to leave, which he did so promptly. However, he continued to call and email my offices incessantly and harass my staff. Finally, we had to block his phone number and email. 

  Time and time again, we patiently explained to this former client the process involved, and helped him in many ways. The fact remains, that despite the way things ended, he his in a far, far better position now than he was prior to engaging Boxelder. Why he is anything other than grateful is a head scratcher to me, but given that he has escalated this matter, I need to set the record straight with facts.

  We still wish this former client the best moving forward, but it is clear we made the right decision in terminating this relationship.

  Customer response

  04/13/2023

   
  Complaint: 19925376
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Boxelder gave me the impression that they would see the job through entirely, and charged me unethically for bookkeeping that was incomplete as well as pointless phone calls. I currently have another professional business reworking my books as a result of Boxelder's negligence. I now have to pay twice for a job that should have been completed months ago. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted Boxelder Consulting per legal suggestion from my divorce lawyer as they had a certified accountant and they could also file taxes in one spot. I was reassured by *** they could handle everything and when I met with another team member I was given a timeline of two weeks for my taxes to be turned around. Two weeks passed and I heard nothing from them. Upon checking in, I was told they needed an additional week. Once the week passed, I was told they needed more time but would have them done before tax day. When I called again less than a week before tax day they said they would need to file for an extension and I would need to pay additional. I already paid almost $500 for their services and they didnt hold to any of the timelines given. When I called again on tax **************, the owner, accused me of harassing him when I only called to point out they were not holding to their contract nor their timeline given. He raised his voice and said he didnt want to do business with me again next year. There are poor reviews on ****** and you can see Toms aggression in those posts. But the bigger issue is their contract stated nothing about additional fees with filing late, nor is it ethical to be charged additional fees if they are unable to meet a deadline they cant make. I would have taken my business elsewhere from the beginning. *** will continue to run his business in a gruff and shady manner if it is not flagged.

  

  Business response

  04/19/2022

  We had an extremely busy tax season this year, in addition to the extreme backlogs the *** is experiencing. As is industry practice, we file extensions for our clients as a back up to ensure they are not penalized by any kind of late filing. We communicated frequently with this person and advised them of the delays. This was all done in writing. There was no guarantee of a completion date, only a broad estimate. There were also frequent and numerous phone calls with this person to explain the delays and advise them on how to properly make their payments to taxing authorities. 

  Simply put, this client had unrealistic expectations and we will be wrapping up this person's tax return and refunding their money. We are not interested in a business relationship with this person any longer. Their harassment of me and my staff was a boundary for us, and we ceased doing business with them. We wish them the best with a firm more suited to their level of professionalism. 

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